Nissan has unveiled what it hopes will be a replacement for the famous London
black cab

The London black cab is one of the most recognisable vehicles on the road, and now Japanese car manufacturer Nissan has revealed its own interpretation, which will be launched by the end of the year.

The Nissan Taxi for London is based on a van, called the NV200, and was originally shown in August 2012. In response to feedback from several key organisations, including the London Mayor’s office and Transport for London, Nissan has designed a new face for the vehicle, it says “to better reflect the iconic nature of the traditional black cab.”

The design changes were carried out at Nissan’s studio in Paddington, London and include replacing the old angular headlights with round ones, and changing the grille to make it look more like a traditional black cab’s. There are also new bumpers and LED lighting for the “taxi” sign.

Crucially, the Taxi for London has a 25-foot turning circle, thus adhering to TfL regulations for Hackney Carriages. It is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine, connected to an automatic gearbox. A zero emission electric version is due to be launched in 2015.

Darryl Scriven, Design Excellence Manager for Nissan, said: “The Mayor’s office and taxi drivers were very keen that we maintain the character of the Hackney Carriage, making it something that people in the city can be proud of.

“The main challenges were concerned with making sure customers can easily recognise it as a taxi. Being in London, we were able to go out and talk to cabbies about what was important to them as well as look at the vehicle from a customer’s viewpoint.”

The Taxi for London is one of several such vehicles bring launched around the world. The programme also includes versions for New York, Barcelona and Tokyo. Each has sliding rear doors and can carry five passengers, in addition to the driver.